#26 - Lewes Hospitality

 There are stories people tell about small towns. A popular one is about how everyone knows everyone. So, when I needed to get my haircut in Lewes, I started to chat to my hairdresser about the town. I asked if she was a local, and indeed that was true. Then she asked me what I did for a living, and I told her that I am a historian. She laughed because she says the out-of-towners are the history buffs, not the locals. 

Except, that is, Ms. Hazel. 

Ms. Hazel, I was told by the lady with scissors, was the unofficial local historian. She was born and raised in Lewes, as were her children, and her children’s children. She always had a passion for preserving the true history of Lewes and trying to debunk the myths that crop up over time. And my new hairdresser cut her hair. Only in small towns, dear reader.

Now, I admit I was at first quite skeptical. I’ve worked with ‘local historians’ before; and they always mean well. They want to learn about, share, and preserve the stories of the places they and their families lived. But often they end up preserving the local folklore, not actual historical fact. Which is actually terribly important, but it is not doing history. The preservation of local folklore is really great because the stories do tend to have a kernel of truth, but the way the story changes overtime can tell you something about the community that alters it. 

After my haircut, my new hair dresser ran to her office to grab a book she wanted to loan me. It was a history book written by Ms. Hazel in 1998: Lantern on Lewes.I was delighted! ...Until I flipped to the back of the book and realized there were no sources. I decided to read it anyway, there are so few secondary sources specifically written about Lewes, I figured I had better see what this one was about. It's actually pretty good. Based on what I currently know and suspect is true about the history of Lewes, DE, I think Ms Hazel did a pretty good job. She expresses disbelief at some stories that also makes me suspicious. However, there are other moments when she stands firm on things I am pretty sure is just not true. For instance, she acknowledges that the name Whorekill probably comes from Hoernkill, but there is no solid evidence to connect that to the city of Hoorn. But then a little later she upholds the mistaken spelling of Swanendael, saying ‘Zwaanendael’ is simply a late Dutch spelling. This I disagree with. Ms. Hazel makes a really interesting connection between the stories of one barn being left unburnt during the Lord Baltimore raids to the time of year - Christmas. How astute! The myth of one building remaining certainly brings to mind some little known story about a pregnant virgin and a manger…

By the end of the book it was quite obvious that Ms. Hazel made a serious, and often successful, attempt to tease apart the fact from fiction to the lore of Lewes. But without sources, this book is non-useable despite being on par with the popular history books I wrote about months ago. I knew I really wanted to meet Ms. Hazel. She must have a very good understanding of the local resources at libraries, archives, and museums. Plus, it could only be a good idea to meet someone in Lewes who was also passionate about history, she surely must know who else is in the nerd club. 

Again, locals to the rescue! My hairdresser was kind enough to give me Ms. Hazel’s phone number and soon enough I was sitting down to talk with her! As safe as we could be Covid-willing. And. She. Is. Delightful. She was super welcoming and excited to meet someone else interested in discovering and preserving the history of Lewes. She even gave me my own copy of Lantern on Lewes (it's signed!), as well as two booklets on the town from the 1970s. One is a guide from a bus tour that used to roam the streets of Lewes and the other is all about the local examples of Victorian Architecture. I had actually come across Victorian Lewes and Its Architecture in online catalogs, but have not been able to get my hands on a copy, physical or digital. I hope both will help me cross reference alterations, movements, and ownership of the buildings in town. At the end here, it is nice to know I now have an invaluable resource and learned colleague to help me on my history adventures. Till next time, dear reader.